Commentary

A few weeks ago an intermodal executive asked me a question to the effect of, “Where should we be headed?” As I talked out my answer and the rationale, it occurred to me that on the surface I sounded cringingly mundane, my observation the type that could have been made in 1995, 2007 or today.

China’s government has never been slow to pile into its markets and even as improving June exports halted a three-month decline, Beijing this week issued a package of support measures for the industry.

There used to be few alternatives to manufacturing in China, but this infographic details how rising production costs in the "Factory of the World" is allowing sourcing competitors to threaten that dominance.

Global economic growth will accelerate next year driven by lower energy prices, a resurgent U.S. consumer as a global driver of growth, and stimulus measures being imposed by multiple central banks, IHS Chief Economist Nariman Behravesh told the 2015 TPM conference in Long Beach on Monday.

U.S. imports of ocean containers reached a record high in September, as retailers expect a robust holiday season, but exports continued to decline from soft global demand, making 2014 so far the worst year for container exports in the past four years.